FACULTY OF MUSIC UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
CHORAL MUSIC ON CAMPUS
University Women's Chorus
Ann Cooper Gay, conductor with special guests University Women's Choir University of North Carolina at Greensboro Hilary Apfelstadt, conductor
Earl Haig Girls' Chamber Choir Mary Legge, conductor
High Park Girls' Choir of Toronto Ann Cooper Gay, conductor
+++ Monday, March 25, 1991 8:00 pm
MacMillan Theatre
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PROGRAM
University of Toronto Women's Chorus Ann Cooper Gay, conductor
Missa Brevis (world premiere) Derek Holman
Kimberly Hanley, Cassandra Bourne, Hope Nightingale, soloists
KYRIE
Lord, have mercy Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy
GLORIA Glory be to God on high, and on
For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord; thou only, O Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
SANCTUS AND BENEDICTUS Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of
Sabaoth. Heaven and earth are full of thy glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
earth peace, goodwill towards men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee, we glorify thee, we give thanks to thee for thy great glory, O Lord God, heavenly King.
God the Father Almighty. AGNUS DEI Lamb of God, who takest away the
sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the word,
grant us thy peace.
O Lord, the only-begotten Son Jesu Christ; O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of God the Father, have mercy upon us.
Derek Holman, a Toronto resident since 1965, is no stranger to the liturgical requirements of setting the text of the Mass. The present work, subtitled "in die natalis", was commissioned for the Women's Chorus and completed on February 15, one hour before the birth of the composer's first grandchild Derek Anthony. The Kyrie is marked by close imitative writing over a shifting harmonic pattern in the harp (in this performance piano) accompaniment; this texture is resumed in the Agnus Dei. The voices chase each other through the energetic Gloria, which stands alone. The acclamations of the Sanctus and the more meditative Benedictus are
linked by the Hosanna, whose melody is invented for its second appearance. All the movements drift towards
resolution in the key of C sharp. Note by Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill
Laluja mereltaé: Songs from the Sea
Aulis Sallinen
Cheryl Hickman, soloist
1. ALA TUULE TYTTO TUULE: WIND GIRL, DO NOT BLOW Wind Girl, do not blow.
Rain Maid, do not rain.
O Sea Master, do not roar.
O Sky Mistress, do not dance:
my brother's on the waters.
my mother's child's on the waves. Wind Girl, if you blow.
Rain Maid, if you rain.
O Sea Master, if you roar,
O Sky Mistress, if you dance, you'll strike down my mother's child, lose the child of who bore me. Wind Girl, blow some other time, Rain Maid, rain some other time, O Sea Master, roar,
O Sky Mistress, dance!
2. SYMPAATTI: THE SHIPSHAPE There was a ship, a shipshape boat, and it was called the Shipshape. When we hoisted the sails, woes made their farewells.
such a shipshape boat, the Shipshape. The compass, the shrouds took us far from the crowds,
over the sea to the skyline.
And there I saw that my life's boat was always afloat.
3. EN MINA MERYTTA KIITA
I DON'T PRAISE THE SEA
I don't praise the sea.
neither do I love the shores:
the sea's swallowed many a man. the sea's borrowed many a child. What stones there are in the sea are all human heads.
what water is in the sea
is all human blood.
4, HYVASTI, KULTASENI
FARE THEE WELL, MY DARLING
Fare thee well, my darling,
far from my homeland I must be roving.
I must be travelling over the main,
and I don't know whether I'll see you again.
If I should die, don't mourn for me: you'd waste your looks so fair to see.
If you hear I'm dead, set a cross on
the shore.
and cover my bones the sea-waves bore.
Take a small rose and make it grow, and on summer evenings near it go. And when in summer it blooms so fine, it will picture for you this love of mine.
Sallinen's modal Songs from the Sea, Op. 33 were composed in 1974. The texts are based on Finnish folk poetry (for the threefold petition of the first song, and for the concluding ballad) and, for the second song, on a text by two of the composer's sons, which ends in a whisper. The sea in question is, of course, the Baltic, and Sallinen's writing echoes that of other composers from this cold edge of Europe. Note by Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill
Kanon: "Caro bell’ idol mio," K. 562 W. A. Mozart
My dearest beautiful idol
Mozart's canon is among the last of over fifty that he devised as simple liturgical pieces, studied contrapuntal vocalises, or obscene diatribes. "Caro bell’ idol" is one of four lyrical Italian canons. Written in Vienna in 1788,
it may have been composed in response to an earlier setting of this text by Antonio Caldara. Note by Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill
Johannes Brahms
Three Songs 3.DIE SCHWESTERN: THE SISTERS
1. DER GANG ZUM LIEBCHEN:
ON THE WAY TO MY SWEETHEART
The moon is still shining, I deeply am pining To go to my sweetheart, to see her I'll strive. Alas, she's despairing, declaring
That she will nevermore see me alive!
The moon now is setting, I hurry, not fretting,
But hurry that no one should lead her astray
Ye pigeons, now murmur, ye zephyrs, now stir her, Let no one my sweetheart, my sweetheart betray!
2.HEIMLICHE LIEBE: SECRET LOVE No wood-fire, neither coal fire can equal the glow Of lovers in secret whom the world does not know.
Neither rose nor yet carnation so brightly can blow As acouple in love when they meet in the grove.
Set a mirror, set a looking glass down deep in my soul, To see there reflected how sincere is my goal.
Two sisters we, so lovely, and like as like can be, As eggs are like each other, or one star
like another, You can't tell her from me.
Two sisters we, so lovely, with hair nut brown and fine.
You twine it in a single braid,
And her's is just like mine.
Two sisters we, so lovely, together all the day.
We dally in the meadowland, where, hand in hand, We sing along the way,
Two sisters we, so lovely, we spin a single thread, We sit at a single distaff, we sleep in a double bed.
O sisters both, so lovely, now how does the next chapter run?
You love the very same lover, and here the story is done!
Brahms turned toward this sort of learned composition late in life with his Op. 113 canons for women's voices. But his interest in the sound of high voices dates back to an early Ave Maria and the Op. 17 trios and Op. 20 duets for female voices. The three works by him on this program are from later collections. Brahms set Der Gang zum Liebchen twice; tonight's version is the later one, Op. 48, No. 1. The Magyar melody to which he set Moricke's Die Schwestern was published in 1874. Note by Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill
. Fancy from Two Songs of Love (Toronto premiere) John Greer
Fancy is the second of Two Songs of Love commissioned by the Aurora Singers of Thompson, Manitoba in 1981. The Shakespeare text comes from The Merchant of Venice, Act III, scene ii, and accompanies Bassanio's choosing of the caskets to win the hand of Portia. J.G.
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Earl Haig Girls' Chamber Choir Mary Legge, conductor
Herr Gott Vater: I will praise the Lord: Duet from Johann Sebastian Bach Cantata #37, Wer da glaubet und getaufte wird
The 23rd Psalm Franz Schubert +++
University Women's Choir University of North Carolina at Greensboro Hilary Apfelstadt, conductor
Gloria (1981) Imant Raminsh I Andante II Con moto
Amy Whiteside, soprano III Andante Catherine Creech, soprano
IV Tempo primo Stephanie Dillard, soprano
Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth, good will toward men. We praise You, we bless You, we glorify You. We give You thanks, King of the heavens, Father omnipotent. Song of God, Jesus Christ, we praise You, we bless You, we glorify You. Have mercy on us, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, who forgives the sins of the world. Only thou art holy, only Thou art God in the highest, Jesus Christ. Glory be to the Father. Amen.
Scored for four-part chorus a cappella, this work is characterized by mild dissonance and recurring meter shifts. Thematic unity is achieved by the use of melodic and rhythmic motifs which are repeated throughout movements; thus the beginning of IV recalls the introduction of I, and the development of IV is reminiscent of II. Only the third movement is unique in this respect. The first movements are sung without interruption,
linked by a soprano solo.
Heart we will forgive him (1985) James Mulholland
This is the third movement of Three Love Songs and the only treble piece of the group. Emily Dickinson's text refers to the conflict between heart and head, or emotion and reason, which often permeates relationships between people. The use of F Horn adds timbral intensity to this work.
I died for beauty (1990) Eddie Bass I On this wondrous sea
II I died for beauty
III What inn is this?
IV Afraid?
V Me!
The sequence of poems by Emily Dickinson reflects several emotional states experienced in the face of death: hopeful, serious, terrified, overcoming fear, and joyful. These changing emotions are reflected in the choice of keys and tempi. Original scoring for the work includes wind quintet and piano.
Dr. Eddie Bass is Professor of Music at UNCG and Chair of the Composition, History, and Theory Division. A native of North Carolina, he received a Ph.D. in Music from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1964. He is active as a composer, theorist, and performer. Dr. Bass plays trumpet in the faculty quintet, Market Street Brass. His Brass Quintet has been performed by the nationally known New York Brass Quintet, and another work, Recollections, was premiered by the UNCG Wind Ensemble at Lincoln Center in 1987.
The Heavenly Aeroplane (1985) John Rutter
An Ozark folksong is the basis for this rollicking arrangement about getting to heaven in an unconventional
way!
The city (1989) Christopher Weait A setting of a poem by Jean Junge, this tells of many restrictions of city life. The text uses phrases common to street signs. The composer is Professor of Bassoon at Ohio State University.
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University of Toronto Women's Chorus Ann Cooper Gay, conductor
Poor Man Lazrus arr. Jester Hairston
Dixie arr. Dr. G. Errol Gay
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University of North Carolina at Greensboro Women's Choir Earl Haig Girls' Chamber Choir High Park Girls' Choir of Toronto University of Toronto Women's Chorus University of Toronto Brass Quintet Ruth Watson Henderson, piano
Creation's Praise (1987) Ruth Watson Henderson
Ruth Watson Henderson returned to her native Toronto in 1968 and has been active as both accompanist and composer. Creation's Praise was written in 1987 for Jean Ashworth Bartle and her Toronto Children's Chorus. Its exuberant text is that of the canticle Benedicite, opera omnia, and the music (with its divisions into as many
as six real parts) conjures an extravagant variety of created beings to bless their Lord. Note by Bruce Kirkpatrick Hill
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TONIGHT TIST
IVERSITY MEN'S CHOI niversity of North Carolin reensbor
The University Women's Choir is an auditioned group of approximately 45 singers representing several academic disciplines. Many of the current personnel have been members of the group for two or more years. Repertoire includes a variety of choral music from five centuries, with a major component from the twentieth century. Recently, the Choir premiered a number of works by contemporary Canadian and American composers. Since 1985, the University Women's Choir has been honoured by invitations to perform at Southern Division meetings of the Music Educators National Conference (1985, 1990), and at conferences of the American Choral Directors Association (Southern Division, 1988; National, 1989). The current 1991 spring tour includes the Choir's first performance outside the United States, with concerts in Toronto, as well as in Virginia, West Virginia, and New York state.
Dr. Hilary Apfelstadt is in her eighth year as conductor of the University Women's Choir. In addition to conducting the choir, she teaches conducting and music education courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A native of Canada, she is a graduate of the University of Toronto, the University of Illinois, and the University of Wisconsin- Madison where she earned a Ph.D. in music education with an emphasis in choral conducting. Author of a monograph, Music for women’s voices by Canadian composers, published in 1989, Dr. Apfelstadt is President of the North Carolina chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.
ERSITY WOMEN'S CH
The University of Toronto Women's Chorus began in 1986 under the direction of Michael Coghlan; the present conductor, Ann Cooper Gay, began her leadership in 1988, at which time there were approximately forty members who shared concerts with both the University Singers and the newly formed Symphony Chorus. In 1989, the Women's Chorus took on a new role as a sixty-member ensemble capable of presenting its own concerts and dedicated to the performance of music composed by students and teachers at the Faculty of Music. The overall repertoire of the Women's Chorus spans a broad spectrum, from the music of Hildegard von Bingen (twelfth century) to that of contemporary Canadian composers. In March, 1990, the Chorus co-hosted a "Meet the Composer" workshop, which focussed on the music of British Columbia composer Imant Raminsh, involving four other treble choirs totalling over 200 singers.
Also in 1990, the University Women's Chorus received the $1000 Second Prize in the Equal Voice Category of the CBC Choral Competition, becoming the first University of Toronto choir to receive an award in this biannual event. The award was used to commission Derek Holman's Missa Brevis. Their placement in the competition also led to an invitation from internationally known Toronto Symphony principal harpist, Judy Loman, to perform with her and soprano Rosemarie Landry at a benefit concert in Fenelon Falls, Ontario last December, to support the refurbishing of a concert hall and the establishment of a scholarship fund for young music students in that area.
ANN COOPER GAY holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music from Austin College in Texas. She furthered her vocal studies at the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto Opera Division. She subsequently performed leading roles with the Canadian Opera Company, and with major opera companies and orchestras across North America. Ms. Cooper Gay can be heard as "Sara Riel" on the Centrediscs recording of Louis Riel by Harry Somers, and she is the writer/producer of the one-woman pasticcio, Rags to Riches, a showcase for soprano and orchestra.
In 1986, Ms. Cooper Gay founded The High Park Girls' Choir of Toronto, which has since won many honours and has received invitations to perform in Ontario, Quebec, and the United States. She is also founder and former music director of the Children's Choir at the Royal Conservatory of Music which, during the summer of 1988, produced her adaptation for children of Mozart's The Magic Flute. These two choirs joined the University Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in December of that year for a performance of Honegger's Une Cantate de Noél, conducted by Dr. Doreen Rao.
Currently, Ann Cooper Gay is coordinator of instrumental music at Runnymede Public School, and is assistant to the Director of Choral Programs at the University of Toronto. In addition to her teaching duties, she has served as an adjudicator in Ontario and Québec, and as conductor of treble choir camps in Saskatchewan and Ontario; she has also trained choirs for two major international releases of Kindermusik (instructional music recordings for young children), and has contributed reviews to Anacrusis (Journal of the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors). In 1992, Ms. Cooper Gay will be guest conductor for a Junior and Senior High School choir camp at Westminster College in Pennsylvania.
Earl Haig Girls' Chamber Choir
The Chamber Choir is comprised of students from the various programs at Earl Haig Secondary School. The Choir has been a finalist in the CBC Amateur Choir Competition and has won numerous Gold Standards in the Ontario Vocal Festival and Musicfest Canada. The Choir has received scholarship awards in the Canadian Contemporary Showcase singing works of Canadian composers Harry Freedman, Nancy Telfer, Ruth Watson Henderson, Donald Patriquin, and Imant Raminsh. Recently, the Choir won four major scholarships for their performances at the Kiwanis Music Festival having achieved the highest mark for choral singing at this year's competition.
Mary Legge teaches vocal music, theory and musicianship in the Claude Watson Program for the Arts at Earl Haig Secondary School in North York. She also coaches in the Ensemble program, one of the focal points of the Music Department. In addition to directing the Chamber Choir, she conducts the 80-member Concert Choir, a mixed voice ensemble. She has adjudicated in various choral festivals throughout Ontario and led workshops for the Ontario Music Educator's Association and CAMMAC. She is organist and Choir director at the Church of St. Leonard, directing both a children's choir and an adult ensemble. At present, Mary is continuing her studies for her Master's Degree in Music Education at the University of Toronto.
+++ Choral Music on Campus
University of Toronto Concert Choir Doreen Rao, conductor April 5, 1991 at 8:00 pm Knox College Chapel 49 St. George St.
University of Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Pierre Hetu, guest conductor April 6, 1991 at 8:00 pm MacMillan Theatre, Edward Johnson Building
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MacMillan Theatre Fred Perruzza, Director of Theatre Operations Jim Earls and Scott Thom, Technical Assistants
I ITY
Sopranos
Sandra Alderton Lysandra Almeida Cassandra Bourne* Elaine Burhans Jennifer Clucas Liane De Lotbiniere Harwood Luiiza Fernandez Stacey Fraser
Lisa Helferty* Cheryl Hickman* Christine Howlett Simone Jubas Janice Lam
Yonsil Lee
Lina Libak Nanette Lockharta Rebecca Loo
Lisa Martinelli Nadine Matsunaga Chemayne Micallef Hope Nightingale*+ Lois Simmons Christina Shave Monique St. Pierre Larissa Szeptyk Wern-Ning Tang Tristin Tergesen Nora Tombalakian Kathryn Tremills Sheila Vandikas Paula-Lynn Walker Heather White Carmen Wiebe+ Eppie Wong Michelyn Wright
ME
H 10} EL
Altos
Caterina Allergretti Mary Angastiniotis* Larissa Bachnivsky Barbara Byczko Annie Chang Kimberley Hanley Sara Lynn Hutchison+ Gillian Johnson Mami Kuroda Kristi Laird Cecelia Lee
Hee Sook Lim Deborah Maes Jacqueline Plaatjes Catherine Powell Antonella Pugliese Josephine Sgro Carolyn Stronks Yee Man Tsui Shiahnuo Wong Beata Wozniak Stacey Wright Judy Yan
a Manager
* Section Leader
+ Accompanist
+ Student conductor
We extend a warm welcome to our guest choirs this evening from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, the Earl Haig Secondary School in North York, and to members of the High Park Girls’ Choir of Toronto for their participation in this concert.
Accompanists this evening are in order of appearance:
Carolyn Maule, University of Toronto graduate
Sara Hutchinson, University of Toronto student
Carmen Wiebe, University of Toronto student
Douglas Bodle, Professor of Organ, University of Toronto
Brenda Troxtell, University of North Carolina at Greensboro student Ruth Watson Henderson, composer/accompanist
Conductors also appearing in tonight's concert:
Fred Meads, University of North Carolina at Greensboro assisant conductor Hope Nightingale, University of Toronto student conductor
Dr. Errol Gay, guest conductor/arranger
Special thanks are given to the following people who have contributed to this concert;
The University of Toronto Brass Quintet: Scott Harrison and Sharon Lucy, trumpets; Susan Robertson, French horn; Alison Gray, trombone; Paul Bird, tuba.
Professor Stephen Chenette, coach of the Brass Quintet
Craig Hunter, percussion
Dr. Derek Holman, University of Toronto Professor of Theory and Composition
Dr. Errol Gay, Toronto Symphony - rehearsal assistance
John Greer
Marian Sjolander and Tiina Laukkanen, Finnish language coaches
Students and families who have assisted with the billeting of the North Carolina choir Rosemary Barlow, Public Relations Assistant
Joanne Harada, Public Relations Officer